Top 10 questions for mayoral candidates from SD kids hosting debate

San Diego mayoral candidates should not expect softball questions from students who are hosting a debate at Roosevelt Middle School tonight.

Members of the Cesar Chavez Service Club at Roosevelt will host their first-ever mayoral debate on education issues. No such youth-organized mayoral debate has been held in San Diego in recent memory.

All three leading Democratic candidates - Former City Attorney Mike Aguirre, City Councilman David Alvarez and former Assemblyman Nathan Fletcher will attend the event, which goes from 5:30 to 7:30 tonight at Roosevelt, 3366 Park Blvd. City Councilman Kevin Faulconer, a Republican, plans to send a representative to answer the questions.

The Chavistas, who model their activities after the late labor leader Cesar Chavez, spent weeks researching the candidates and crafting their questions.

Candidates have had a few days to prepare for the event. Here are the questions they have been asked to answer:

I would like to know how the city and schools are related, and what they do to help each other. What does the city government have to do with the school district and how do they work together to help us?

What will you do to boost student civic engagement to get students involved in government and public service and would you partner with the school superintendent and the board of education to speak to student groups?

Do you champion state legislation that would grant community colleges the option to provide bachelor degrees?

With libraries closing early (public/college campus) many students struggle to complete homework assignments due to lack of internet access at home. What can you do as mayor of our city to provide more libraries with longer hours, with cooler books that we can relate to and provide free WiFi inside the library?

Many city college students rely on public transportation, but right now when we have to pay $72 for a bus pass and sometimes we are faced to choose between buying our textbooks and a bus pass. How would you address this issue?

Today's students face bullying at school and in cyberspace. Some students have even taken their own lives because of bullying. Were you bullied in school or college and what can you do as mayor to address this terrible problem in schools and communities?

How can you stop the violence around schools such as: tagging, alcohol, drugs, and shootings?

Nice family friendly parks bring pride to communities. How can the mayor's office open possibilities for joint-use agreements so school facilities such as playgrounds and gyms/pools can be staffed for access by members of the communities?

Can I please get better sidewalks because some sidewalks I walk on are dangerous for kids to use?

What do you see as your role in ensuring San Diego City Schools bridge the divide so that all youth will have a fair chance, at least based on basic education, to compete in San Diego's job market?